While it may not be accurate to say that dogs smell pregnancy, they may be able to smell these hormonal changes. Hormones can influence not only the smell of a person's body, but also the state of their health, appearance, and behavior.
As a pregnant body results in such odor changes, you can count on the masters of scents to detect them. This makes them more attentive, or at least more curious towards the would-be mother. In addition to the heightened sense of smell, your dog's ultrasonic hearing also helps it detect the presence of a fetus.
Historically, there are plenty of ways dogs have been able to detect pregnancy. Whether it's a change in behavior or downright physiological signs, dogs are way more in tune with you than you think. For example, dogs can smell the changes that your body is undergoing.
Sixth Sense #2: Pregnancy
From time to time, they may also nuzzle and sniff your belly, and rest their heads on it. Again, their ability to detect bodily changes can be credited to their powerful sense of smell. When a woman is pregnant, her body chemistry — and, as a result, her distinct odor — shifts.
Depending on the dog's personality and the physical and emotional shifts of the pregnant woman, a dog may display one or more of these behaviors: Increased affection for — and protection of — the pregnant woman. Agitation, growling, barking and/or being uncooperative. Urinating around the house.
As she explains, there is not an exact known time when dogs have been proven to perceive hormone-related changes to human pregnancy; however, there are significant hormonal changes that begin the second week after fertilization.
Dogs that have smelled, sensed, and seen changes in their owner may simply feel more protective or attached to their owner, which would explain the increased snuggles. If your fur baby notices those oh-so-pleasant pregnancy mood swings, they may feel compelled to offer their comfort.
Even if your dog may be able to sense that you're pregnant, it doesn't necessarily mean his behavior will change. While some dogs might become more protective and clingy, yours might seem more fearful around you or simply indifferent.
Dogs are also more attracted to certain people's crotches, like people who recently had sexual intercourse, are menstruating, or recently gave birth. That's because all of these people are producing more pheromones than normal, which naturally causes a dog to be more interested in a sniff.
It has even been reported anecdotally that dogs can tell you're pregnant before you're aware of it yourself. The changes in your body's scent can affect your dog in different ways. Your dog may seem confused by the scent change and act a little reluctant to be too close to you.
Tips Once You and Your New Baby Are Home
After your pet becomes accustomed to the baby's smells and sounds, it's okay to let him sniff the baby. Leash your dog during early encounters; you can gradually allow him to sniff off-leash while supervised. A few more pointers: Never leave your pet and baby unsupervised.
“Many people report that their dogs are more affectionate and/or protective during their pregnancies,” says Barrack. “Presumably, these behavioral changes are due to changes in a pregnant owner's mood coupled with hormonal and scent changes.”
“[Dogs] can't communicate with humans in the same way [that] they communicate with other dogs, so they try and get your attention by nudging you or bumping into you,” Rice told The Dodo. “When a dog bumps or nudges you with their nose, it is usually because they want your attention or they want something from you.”
Some dogs become protective of the pregnant mom, and once the baby is born, they are protective of the baby. “My dog didn't like new dogs near me on walks when I was pregnant, and since having the baby, she doesn't want new dogs near my baby either.”
'” When a dog has a strong pack drive and is tightly bonded with his family, it's only natural that he becomes protective of a new baby when he or she arrives. Canines are smitten with babies and can form strong connections because of the amount of time spent together.
Growing evidence also suggests that exposure to household pets, particularly dogs, during pregnancy and infancy may increase immunity and help lower the baby's risk of health problems such as allergies and asthma.
It is completely possible that your dog can hear an unborn baby's heartbeat in the womb. They may also be able to hear your baby cry in the womb, which can start at about 28 weeks. No matter what they are hearing, it is unavoidable that dogs know that there is something going on in the body of a pregnant woman.
Dogs can smell changes in our hormones: if their owner is pregnant or has a miscarriage, they will know something is up. It may affect their behavior.
Scientists and animal behaviorist claim that dogs sense oncoming labor due to a combination of scent and feeling the changes in human behavior. Although not every dog will show these signs and not everytime they act oddly means you are going into labor soon, be aware that it is a possibility.
Our recent findings further suggest that these changes may begin even before men become fathers: In a longitudinal study of expectant parents, men's testosterone declined throughout the prenatal period, suggesting that the presence of an infant may not be necessary to initiate hormone changes (Edelstein et al., 2015).
According to recent research, some dogs can actually detect breast cancer from the smell, which means that they could play a huge part in the early diagnosis of this condition in the future.
In order to protect their own health and that of their unborn child, women who are, or who may be, pregnant should be advised to avoid close contact with livestock animals. This is because infectious organisms may be present in birth fluids of animals, particularly sheep, cattle and goats.
So, even though it may look cute, a dog licking a baby's face should not be allowed. In fact, I don't recommend it even for healthy adults. If your dog likes to give the adults in the family “kisses,” let them lick your hand and then immediately wash your hand thoroughly afterward.